Interacting and Changing Mural and Method

ABSTRACT

A method and a kit for making a mural. The kit has wall panels with which to form a first mural image. The kit also contains is components for a foreground image which are placed onto the background image by the same person who placed the background image or a different person than the person who mounted the background image. In some versions, these components are related by a theme. The kit provides for creative play by children allowing them to customize a mural image, sometimes formed by another, with components designed to re-positionably adhere or connect to the background image. The background image is designed to re-positionably adhere or connect to a wall or similar structure, such as a wall in a bedroom. The components can have the shape of a variety of characters or objects such as animals, people, toys, and other patterns, etc.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/859, 831 filed Jun. 11, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,882. Disclosed is a re-positionable magnetic art apparatus which is provided in a variety of shapes and sizes. Characters of the apparatus are attracted to a sheet which underlies a picture within a frame, the frames provided in a variety of shapes. A clear laminate covering the picture separates the removably positionable characters from the picture, thereby providing for picture clarity throughout the life of the apparatus. Pictures are provided with characters that are magnetically attracted to the board such that a user can creatively construct their own pictures which match both picture theme and picture scale, ensuring artistic expression.

United States pre-grant publication number 20060127155. Disclosed is a decorative thermal print comprising a continuous thermal print material comprising a thermal image on a pragmatic layer. The thermal print has iron particles. Iron, cobalt and nickel particles have magnetic properties that allow for simple, ferrous-based magnets to adhere. The child could interact with the decorative print by placing characters that contain strip magnets into the story, allowing the child to physically and creatively interact with the image adhered to the wall at a height that allows for the child to interact with the image.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,712. Disclosed is a two-dimensional designs that are created by providing a magnetic surface and attaching magnetic parts to the surface. The parts may be precut geometric and representational forms cut from flexible magnetic material. The surface may be a surface painted with a magnetic paint. Three-dimensional designs are created by providing a metallic surface and attaching parts to the surface using small permanent magnets. The invention further includes a method of attaching a substantially two-dimensional item to a wall such that the item can be removed from the wall without any possibility of damaging or marring the same. It is possible to have changing displays consistent with the changing seasons the year and with the major holidays, e.g., Christmas, Easter, etc. Using a relatively small number of precut pieces, children can make thousands of different pictures and designs which can then be photographed and displayed.

United States pre-grant publication number 20040241394. Disclosed is a substrate is printed with areas of magnetizable ink. The magnetizable ink is compressed into the surface of the substrate, and overprinted to hide it. Suitable inks for the purpose are disclosed. The ink may be permanently magnetized in any of a variety of patterns. The invention incorporates printed or printable sheets incorporating areas of magnetized or magnetizable material that can interact with a removable magnetized or magnetizable play piece.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,428. Disclosed is a double-sided magnetic piece having images on both sides. Additionally, the present invention relates generally to a story board and a story tin, which are magnetically attracted to magnetic pieces and which include images of a story to which the images on each side of the magnetic piece also relate.

United States pre-grant publication number 20020078612. Disclosed is a decorative and practical wall mounted device comprising a metalized display panel of galvanized sheet metal, or other like material, sandwiched between a primary backing panel and a mitered wood or other conventional frame. Photographic prints, drawings, printed material such as documents, notes, memoranda, reminders, or the like encased in a sleeve having a transparent plastic front cover and a magnetic back surface adhere to the metalized display panel. The magnetized rear surface of the sleeve enables it to be removably affixed to the metalized display panel and arranged in a collage pattern that can quickly and easily be altered by the addition or removal of prints, drawings, or printed material at the whim of the user.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of existing art and more specifically relates to surface staining treatments on different types of wood.

SUMMARY

Many parents decorate their children's bedrooms with posters, wall hangings, and fatheads to stimulate imagination and creativity. Unfortunately, most of these decorations cannot be customized or updated, leaving young minds bored and disinterested. A suitable solution is desired.

Kits from mural's having one or more wall panels that can be sections of a mural image; and having one or more components of a customizable foreground image are disclosed. In various embodiments, the wall panels comprise an outer surface with a component mounting means and a rear surface with a rear-surface attachment means. In some versions, the components comprise a background attachment means. In some versions, the wall panels comprise a component attachment means and the components comprise a background attachment means. The mural image forms a background image adapted to receive components of the customizable foreground image. The component mounting means uses physical or chemical adhesion, magnetism, or static attraction behavior for mounting the components to the background. As does the background attachment means connected to the components. To aid assembly of the mural, some versions of wall panels comprise registration indications to help aligned the individual pieces together to form a complete mural. Depending upon the version, the wall panels are either re-positionable or permanently mounted. In the components are re-positionable.

Methods are also disclosed. These methods comprise providing the components of the mural's and the panel walls and the components for the customizable murals. Some of these components have shape such as characters with re-positionable subcomponents. In some versions, the character are a vehicle, a toy, a plant, or an animal. Alternatively, some of the components have the shape of a clothing article or the shape of a weather pattern, a sun, or a moon. Various versions of the component mounting means and background mounting means uses physical or chemical adhesion, magnetism, or static attraction behavior for mounting the components to the background or the background to the components.

In some versions, the components are small enough for a child to manipulate and themes that unify the components of each other or themes that unify the components with the background. Some versions are specially designed so that the components are small enough to be manipulated by a child and related to this some of the panels have an edge positioned above the floor a maximum distance of 4 to 5 feet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a surface staining composition and method, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts perspective view of a mural.

FIG. 2 depicts a front view of the mural.

FIG. 3 depicts front views of various components of a customizable foreground image.

FIG. 4 depicts perspective views of a component end of a mural.

FIG. 5 depicts a method of using the mural and components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Many children enjoy playing with toys. A toy is an item that can be used for play, and can be a means of training young children for life in society. Playing with toys is important when it comes to growing up and learning about the world. Toys that keep the attention of a child have the most impact. The present invention provides children with hours of imaginative entertainment. It includes a scene or landscape on which characters and other pieces can be applied and reapplied. This enables children to conjure up their own fantasy world that also tells a story. And when the child has become accustomed to seeing the artwork, the parent or child can change the foreground image framed by, in some versions, an unchanged background. For instance, the scene may change with the seasons with the addition of snow, rain puddles, flowers, and more. The present invention prevents boredom with traditional fatheads and posters.

In some versions, the background scene contains images that remain unchanged, anchoring the scene and the viewer's mind so that when foreground images change, the viewer recognizes that the scene has changed, but the setting has not.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, interactive and changing murals spark children's creativity and imagination with customizable, ever-changing wall art. This product may comprise a flat mural, made from self-adhesive vinyl with magnetic strips, that can be applied to and removed from clean, painted drywall. Children can adhere magnetic characters and playing pieces to the mural, limited only by their imagination. Children can also move the characters around, depending on the story or situation, keeping children engaged and entertained. Additionally, parents can add snow, rain puddles, changing leaves, blooming flowers, the sun, and more to mimic the real-life changing of the seasons. Likewise, children can apply seasonally appropriate clothing, like sunglasses or a winter hat, to the characters, making them more relatable.

Optionally, instead of a mural, the wall hanging can resemble an object, such as a tree. The mural or object can be offered in various sizes to accommodate different wall sizes and rooms. Optionally, instead of a mural, it could be an object, such as a tree. The exact specifications may vary upon manufacturing.

FIG. 1 depicts wall 10 upon which wall panel 110 has been mounted. Wall panel 110, and in some versions, first wall panel 110, second wall panel 111, (and third, fourth, fifth, six, etc.) are connected together to form background mural image 115. Additionally, components 120 of customizable foreground image 119 are shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 also depicts outer surface 140 comprising component attachment means 141. In this version, wall 10 is located in a bedroom 15.

FIG. 2 depicts a version of the mural that comprises wall panel 110 and second wall panel 111. In some versions having multiple wall panels 110, one or more panels 110 contain registration marks 220. Sometimes these registration marks 220 are used to simplify arrangement or assembly of mural image 115.

Components 120 of customizable foreground image 119 have a shape representing the type of figure that one might desire to use to create customizable foreground image 119 from components 120. FIG. 3 depicts a tiny sample of suitable components 120. For instance, FIG. 3 depicts tree 124, apple 125, flower 126, rabbit character 127, girl character 128, bear character 129, tank toy 130, cloud 131, Sun 132, and snowflake 133.

FIG. 4 depicts apple 125, an example of a component 120. In this figure, lowercase that 125 comprises inner surface 310 that comprises background mounting means 311. Likewise, FIG. 4 shows wall panel 110 forming mural image 115 and having rear surface mounting means 350. In some versions, rear surface mounting means 350 is any known means of connecting wall panel 120 and mural image 115 to wall 10.

FIG. 5 depicts a method of using the kit or system described above comprising step 410 of providing wall panels 110 to an assembler, step 420 assembling wall panels 110 into mural image 115 comprising background image, installing mural image 115 onto wall 10 (step 430), providing component 120 of customizable foreground image 119 (step 440), and installing components 120 using background mounting means 311 or component mounting means 140 (step 450). FIG. 5 also depicts step 460 of displaying the background image and foreground components to a viewer other than the assembler an optional step 470 of rearranging the foreground components outside the presence of a viewer.

For purposes of this disclosure, a rear surface attachment means is any attachment means known to those of ordinary skill in the art for attaching wall panel 110 or a mural to a wall 10 or other somewhat vertical surface to support the mural or wall panel 110 on that surface. In some versions wall panel 110 rear surface attachment means can be substituted with a wall mounting system using rope, string, or chains to mount wall panel 110 on or in front of wall 10. In some versions, the rear surface attachment means uses physical or chemical adhesion, magnetism or static attraction behavior for mounting wall panel 110 onto wall 10.

Depositing materials onto a surface or rear surface of wall panel 110 can cause physical or chemical adhesion to occur. Useful materials include materials such as an adhesive or polymer or adhesive deposited on back of the wall panel, or portions of a soft tacky material, pins, nails, screws, tape mounted to the rear surface or tape mounted across the corners of the wall panel, removable or non-removable portions of strips of tacking material, hook-and-loop fasteners, slatwall connectors, fabric covering wall 10 that interacts to support wall panel 110, etc.

In some versions, wall panel 110 comprises iron, such as iron powder, distributed throughout the substrate of wall panel 110, and components 120 comprise magnets, sometimes distributed throughout the substrate of components 120. In other versions, components 120 comprise iron, such as iron Powder, distributed throughout the substrate of components 120, and wall panel 110 comprise magnets, sometimes distributed throughout the substrate of wall panel 110.

For purposes of this disclosure, wall panels 120 comprise outer surface 140 with a mounting means for components 120. In some versions, the component mounting means uses physical or chemical adhesion, magnetism, or static attraction for holding the components to wall panel 110. In some versions, components 120 comprise a background attachment means that facilitates connecting components 120 to wall panel 110. In some versions, the background attachment means operates in the absence of component mounting means. In other versions component attachment means functions with the background attachment means. Registration marks 220 provide images that when aligned with each other locally forces alignment of wall 110. FIG. 2 shows these registration marks as triangles, but those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many different types of registration marks would be useful in practicing this invention. In some versions, wall panels 110 are re-positionable on wall 10. And in these or other versions, components 120 are re-positionable on wall panels 110 or on mural image 115 formed by wall panel 110. FIG. 3 shows the figures shows various versions of components 120 in which component 120 has a shape that matches printing on component 120. But in some versions, components 120 have shapes different from the object or character displayed on the individual component.

The described kits and methods need not be two-dimensional. They can have three-dimensional structure as desired, for instance, to provide a more realistic mural for background image and a more realistic goal customizable foreground image.

In some versions, the wall panels or components comprise fabric, plastics, vinyl, paper, cardboard, metal, posterior board, wood, glass, ceramic, non-woven media, etc.

In operation, one or more of wall panel 110 is positioned or reposition on tool wall or other vertical surface to form a complete mural image. The wall panel 110 pieces create a background image adapted to receive components of a customizable foreground image. For instance, wall panels 110 may comprise magnetic material that allows wall panel 110 to align and register with an adjacent wall panel 110 and for these multi-component murals and or single component multi-panel murals and single panel murals to cause wall panels 110 to attach to the wall 10 through magnetic interaction between materials in wall panel 110 and materials in wall 10. Alternatively or in these versions or different versions, components 120 have materials, such as magnetic materials that allow or cause them to connect to the mural having the background image to form a customizable foreground image. In versions where these components are re-positionable, customizable foreground images change as the user desires. Wall panels and components allow for creative play by children. On the one hand allowing the children to have a and aesthetically pleasing customizable foreground mural and on the other hand not requiring the child to prepare components 120 themselves. In other versions, kit comprises blank instances of components 120 so that the child can prepare their own component 120.

In some versions using physical mounting means, hook and loop fasteners or tape is applied to wall 10 and the back of wall panels 110, which allows wall panels 110 to physically connect in a removable fashion to walls 10. Components 120 of the customizable foreground image 119 can use the same type of physical connections to mount onto wall panels 110 or they can use different methods of mounting the foreground image components 120 to the background image.

In some versions, at least one component 120 relates to or unites with another component 120 by both components fitting a similar theme. In some versions, at least one component 120 relates to or unites with the mural image 115 by both component 120 and mural image 115 fitting a similar theme. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of creating a mural comprising: providing a first wall panel depicting a mural image; and mounting the mural image on a wall, wherein the mural image forms a background image for receiving components of a customizable foreground image; and the first wall panel comprises an outer surface with a component mounting means.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a second wall panel and assembling the first and second wall panels into the mural image.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the component mounting means uses physical or chemical adhesion, magnetism, or static attraction behavior for mounting the components to the background image.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the components are small enough for a child to manipulate.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the components has a theme that unifies it with another of the at least one components.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one component has a theme that unifies it with the background image.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the components comprise an inner surface with a background mounting means.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the background mounting means uses physical or chemical adhesion, magnetism, or static attraction behavior for mounting components to the background image.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one panel has an edge positioned above a floor a maximum distance of 4-5 feet.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wall panels further comprise registration marks.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the components are re-positionable.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wall panels are re-positionable.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one component has the shape of a character with re-positionable subcomponents.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the character is a vehicle, a toy, a plant, or an animal.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one component has the shape of a clothing article.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one component has the shape of a weather pattern, a sun, or a moon.
 17. A kit comprising: one or more wall panels each depicting a section of a mural image; and one or more components of a customizable foreground image, wherein the wall panels comprise a rear surface mounting means, the wall panels comprise a component mounting means, the components comprise a background mounting means, or both the wall panels comprise a component mounting means and the components comprise a background mounting means, and the mural image forms a background image adapted to receive components of the customizable foreground image.
 18. The kit of claim 17, wherein the component mounting means uses physical or chemical adhesion, magnetism, or static attraction behavior for mounting the components to the background image.
 19. The kit of claim 18, wherein the wall panels further comprise registration indications.
 20. The kit of claim 19, wherein the components are re-positionable and the wall panels are re-positionable. 